We like the idea of wireless blood pressure monitors. But trying to get the new Qardio monitor to work was enough to send our blood pressure through the roof. The $99 device is supposed to work with your smartphone, so there’s nothing to plug in.

We got it to work twice but then it went on strike. The instructions said if that happened, pull the little tab. There was a little tab and Joy pulled and pulled but nothing happened. The instructions said to unroll the monitor strap and start over. (The “monitor” is a six-inch black box your strap to your arm.) We unrolled and started over. Nothing happened. So eventually we gave up and Joy went back to making bran muffins.

Further problem: Why does the Qardio app keep track of just one person’s blood pressure reading? Are there no families of two or more people anymore? With Qardio, if a second person wants their blood pressure monitored, they have to sign in as a guest, and instead of keeping the readings in the app, the guest gets them as emails, one at a time. Just what we need, more email.